Blake Garwood
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
- Messages
- 2
Hi, I have a few (well, maybe more than a few) questions about care for my baby Hermann tortoise. Some may seem really small and irrelevant, but I want everything to be perfect !
My partner and I had been thinking of getting a tortoise for a while, and recently she had surprised me for my birthday with a lovely little baby Hermann tortoise. I've been researching a lot on the internet about care for tortoises and there seems to be a lot of conflicting information, so I just wanted to clear all of my questions up in one place.
Firstly, I'll just write down some information I feel is relevant (feel free to ask any more questions). He's 6 months old, we have a large tortoise table (complete with a heat lamp and UVB lamp), with a warm area and a cool area. He seems to prefer the cooler areas, and tends to tuck himself away in a corner most of the time (I've read this is normal whilst they are young).
I've read in some places to keep the heat lamp on for around 14 hrs and turn it off at night, and others to leave it on all the time, so he has a warm and a cold area 24/7. At the moment I have been leaving it on, as he has a nice sheltered cold area he can go to anyway. Whilst talking of temperature, for a baby, what sort of temperature should the warm area be? I currently have the lamp set to 29 degrees Celsius.
With regards to feeding, I have been feeding him a few times throughout the day as he doesn’t seem to eat much, and is toward the lower end of the healthy length to weight ratio. Should I continue to do this, or would it be preferred if I were to feed him once or twice a day? Its worth noting, he doesn't really eat unless you place the food right in front of him, and then he doesn't really eat too much. I'm sure its normal, he's only small, but I'd rather check.
I've read online that heat mats are available for tortoises, but not everyone seems to be in favour of them, would it be best to buy one, or will the heat lamp suffice?
I have been bathing him in cool water, around every 3 days for him to take in water. He also has a very shallow water bath in the tortoise table, which I fill with fresh water each morning (not that he really ever goes near it).
I'm sure I’ve probably missed some bits that I’ll ask later, but for now that’s is.
Lastly, any tips, no matter how trivial or basic they sound would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Blake.
My partner and I had been thinking of getting a tortoise for a while, and recently she had surprised me for my birthday with a lovely little baby Hermann tortoise. I've been researching a lot on the internet about care for tortoises and there seems to be a lot of conflicting information, so I just wanted to clear all of my questions up in one place.
Firstly, I'll just write down some information I feel is relevant (feel free to ask any more questions). He's 6 months old, we have a large tortoise table (complete with a heat lamp and UVB lamp), with a warm area and a cool area. He seems to prefer the cooler areas, and tends to tuck himself away in a corner most of the time (I've read this is normal whilst they are young).
I've read in some places to keep the heat lamp on for around 14 hrs and turn it off at night, and others to leave it on all the time, so he has a warm and a cold area 24/7. At the moment I have been leaving it on, as he has a nice sheltered cold area he can go to anyway. Whilst talking of temperature, for a baby, what sort of temperature should the warm area be? I currently have the lamp set to 29 degrees Celsius.
With regards to feeding, I have been feeding him a few times throughout the day as he doesn’t seem to eat much, and is toward the lower end of the healthy length to weight ratio. Should I continue to do this, or would it be preferred if I were to feed him once or twice a day? Its worth noting, he doesn't really eat unless you place the food right in front of him, and then he doesn't really eat too much. I'm sure its normal, he's only small, but I'd rather check.
I've read online that heat mats are available for tortoises, but not everyone seems to be in favour of them, would it be best to buy one, or will the heat lamp suffice?
I have been bathing him in cool water, around every 3 days for him to take in water. He also has a very shallow water bath in the tortoise table, which I fill with fresh water each morning (not that he really ever goes near it).
I'm sure I’ve probably missed some bits that I’ll ask later, but for now that’s is.
Lastly, any tips, no matter how trivial or basic they sound would really be appreciated.
Thanks,
Blake.